Construction is synonymous with steel; no construction project can be complete without some form of structural steel used in it. Structural steel forms are widely used in building frames, bench frames, roof trusses, floor framing, fences, gates, cattle grids, tank stands, scaffolds, rails, car trailers and so on. Steel angle bars, with equal or unequal angles play an important role in most of these applications.
Steel angle is a structural steel form having an ‘L’ shaped cross section and two legs. The legs could be equal or unequal and the angle is 90 degree. These come in varied dimensions with customized sizes being available in the market. Different materials are used to make steel angles depending upon the properties desired in the finished product but basically, steel angles are produced by high strength low alloy steel or hot-rolled carbon steel. Accordingly you have mild carbon steel angle, HSLA carbon steel angle etc. Based on the surface treatment steel angles can also be classified into hot-dip galvanized and painted or black (no treatment) category. Coatings are smeared on to the steel angles to enhance the critical temperature of steel. With a change in the alloy composition, the steel’s thermal properties will also differ. Carbon steels are normally used for structural shapes, plates, pipes and tubing. High strength low alloy steels have the same applications in addition to being used for W shapes.
The processes used for bending steel vary depending upon the requirements and they include Three Point Bending, Press Brake Forming, Wiping, Folding, Rotary Bending, Jogging and Elastomer Bending. Press Brake Forming can be again divided into Air Bending, Coining and Bottoming. Angled steel as mentioned above holds a place of significance in several construction and engineering projects and hence the angle produced has to be exact. Various calculations are undertaken to ensure that the resultant product is of the desired quality.
The uses of steel angles are listed below:
- Day-to-Day life uses: They are used in daily living items such as bed frames, benches, chairs, fencing posts, coffee tables, frames for supporting air conditioner etc.
- Supporting and structural uses: The applications include bridges, shelves, warehouses, cable towers, communication towers, power towers, equipment etc.
The reliable performance and low cost of steel angles make it a popular component in all the applications. Quality considerations hold top priority in its manufacture. As it is widely used in many structural projects, lack of good quality products will diminish the life of the structure whereas steel angles of high quality and strength will ensure the durability of all the applications. Most of the structural steel projects fail due to weak connections; like at places where a beam connects to a column or where the beam connects to a joist and so on. Therefore, choosing a reliable manufacturer is of paramount importance. A trustworthy store will stock varied sizes of unequal angles, stainless steel plates, alloy steel round bars and all other steel forms that are required for your structural and daily living projects. There are several physical stores or online stores where you can get good quality steel products. Visiting any one of them can help you to fulfil all your requirements.